Analog and digital record discs are sensitive to scratches and dust, and therefore they must be handled with care. Preferably such discs should be contacted only on the peripheral edge or on the central portion where no information is recorded. Therefore, in disc players the disc should not contact, touch or rub against any part of the player. This requirement makes the construction of automatic loading and ejecting devices for record discs more complicated.
Devices have been developed for receiving record discs so that only the peripheral portions of such discs come in contact with any portion of the disc player. Also automatic loading and ejecting devices have been developed for efficiently loading or ejecting the discs from the record player. It is especially important for video record discs and digital audio discs which have very minute and high density information recorded thereon to be handled automatically and in a manner not to damage such information.
Some conventional loading and ejecting devices are constructed with carriers for the discs which move between two positions. Such holders have surfaces on which the record discs are received in a sliding manner. However, these holders have disadvantages in that the information bearing portions of the record disc are often rubbed and marred by the sliding motion on the surfaces of the carrier.